Bare fields in the surrounds of Khumjung, Solukhumbu District , Nepal, on February 24, 2016. Villagers grow what little the can but much of what they eat has to be imported, carried on the backs of either people or animals.

Sudip Rai, 11, assessed for jaundice symptoms by Dr Mingma Tshering Sherpa, 29, at the Kunde Hospital, in Kunde, Solukhumbu District, Nepal, on February 25, 2016. One of the few medical facilities in the region, many patients have to walk for days to reach it.

Lights shine from a trekking lodge as night falls on Phakding, Solukhumbu District, Nepal, on February 22, 2016. Tourists on their way to Everest and other Himalayan peaks are the main source of income for this region of Nepal, which in many ways is isolated and abjectly poor.

Bipasa Rai jumps a skipping rope at Khumjung High School, in Khumjung, Solukhumbu District, Nepal on February 24, 2016. Khumjung, which is some 3790 meters above sea level, is two days' hard walk to the nearest airport and about seven to the nearest road.

Students participate in pre-class exercises at Sano Gumela School, Solukhumbu District, Nepal on February 23, 2016. The school was largely destroyed by the two huge earthquakes that hit Nepal in 2015, some buildings slid into the ravine below.

Looking down from a small peak above the village of Tengboche, in Solukhumbu District, Nepal, at almost 4,000 meters above sea level, on February 26, 2016. Some 70 percent of Nepal's Solukhumbu District exists higher than 3,000 meters above sea level. Much of the terrain is barren, remote and hard to access, yet by the last census in 2011, some 105,886 people forged a living in its harsh climes.

A porter carries construction materials up a steep climb toward the village of Tengboche, Nepal, on February 26, 2016. Such porters are a common sight along the trail that ascends into the Himalayas from the town of Lukla. Apart from infrequent deliveries by cargo helicopters to major towns, everything that reaches villages along the way is carried, either by people or animals, often for many days.